How far apart do you position your speakers ?

Jim Smith arrives at the distance between speakers by measuring from the center of the tweeters. The distance to the listening position is from the tweeter to your ear. I'm sure there are situations where the 83% formula does not result in the best sound--every room and speaker are different--but I have found that this tends to work best when I've tried it not only on my own system but with friends as well. Another interesting "tip" in Jim's book is that you should sit fairly close to the rear wall--say between one and two feet. I did not sit anywhere near the rear wall in my old listening room but since moving and setting up in a different space I am now 16" from the wall behind me and am getting very good sound.

If you sit that close to the rear wall, I suggest you have some absorptive room treatment directly behind the listening position.

Sitting close to the rear wall can help bass response at times. There is no getting around that the reflection from the rear wall arrives very close to the direct sound of the speakers. Absorption will reduce the amplitude of the reflection but arrival time is still the same. In my case, this decreased resolution significantly by compromising impulse response and comb filtering. Diffusors may spread out the reflection arrival time but sitting very close to diffusors can be problematic too.

I have used the Cardas method as a starting point and incorporated some of Jim Smiths ideas. Under the Cardas method I felt I was a little too close to the speakers so I moved my listening position back to about 9 feet and increased the width between the speakers to be in line with the 83% to 84% guideline. I also have maintained a good distance from the rear wall. I think 2 feet is way to close and there will be some uneven bass build up at certain frequencies. I am 5 1/2 feet from the rear wall with the speakers toed in to pass on the outside of my ears.

Hi Mofimadness,
Ear height, center of panel.